- Omid-X to Hopesoo-Z (his companion on planet X) -
My dearest and most gentle partner of life, I am still digesting all the feelings and views I am getting from the Europeans this Summer, and I must say it is not very pleasant. I must say that I am still disturbed by the political events in Europe – in the world for that matter – but I would rather write about a beautiful conversation I overheard between a grand-lifegiver and his little-second-descendant.1
The little girl was asking her grandfather what he did in life and was wondering if his job was ‘being a grandfather.’ The man told her that being a grandfather was a state of existence which affects each person differently.
Not being satisfied with the BS that grandpa was dishing out to her, the little girl switched tactics and changed her question. She asked the man to explain how a grandfather’s existence is and what does a grandparent do in general?
So, the grandfather turned gently to the little girl and told her how he sees his mandate. Yes! He used the term ‘mandate’ with the little girl, and she at least pretended that she understood.
As he was enumerating a long list of things that he would do or does, I thought of our ethics classes on our planet back when we were in early school. I recall how we were told every week to remind our grand-lifegivers to fulfill their duties handed down to them via a planet-wide ordinance:
1) A grand-lifegiver’s first mandate is to be a better grand-lifegiver than they were a lifegiver, because they have learned from their successes and failures as a lifegiver, and they now have access to newer knowledge and technology.
2) Grand-lifegivers are obliged to provide a place of ‘sanctuary’ to their little-second-descendants, where they could always go and be safe in case of need. And finally,
3) Grand-lifegivers have to make the time their little-second-descendants spend with them so joyful and memorable that these little descendants would continue coming and spending time with them from the pleasure of being with them, and not from the obligation of taking care of them.
As I came to myself and drifted back into present, the older man turned to the little girl as he was getting up and said: «come Molly let’s catch up with our tribe.»
Your Omid,
1 On planet X, grandparent is called ‘grand-lifegiver’ and grandchildren are called ‘little-second-descendants.’
From Paris, France - 24 June, 2024 (Earth)